Electromagnetic traction device and emergency-brake.



No. 771,198. x PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904- C. A. WELLS.

ELECTROMAGNETIC TRACTION DEVICE AND EMERGENCY BRAKE.

- APPLICATION FILED MAY 11. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

'l VnyvlisxLiy; INVENTOR f% @W'W UNITED STATES CHARLES A. WELLS, OFCHICAGO, ILLINO'.

Patented September 27, 1904.

ELECTROMAGNETIC TRACTION DEVICE AND EMERGENCY-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,193, datedSeptember 27, 1904.

Application filed May 11, 1903.

To all whom it WI/LI/y concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. WELLS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electromagnetic TractionDevices and Emergency-Brakes, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to an electromagnetic traction mechanism forrailways; and it has for its object the increase of the traction betweenthe wheels of the locomotive or car and the rails and the production ofa powerful emergency-brake, whereby the wheels are prevented fromslipping on the rails by increasing the bearing effectiveness of thewheels upon said rails and the speed of the locomotive or car ispromptly checked.

My invention consists of the parts and the constructions andcombinations of parts which I will hereinafter describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals of referenceindicate like parts in the several figures, Figure l is a side elevationof a locomotive or car wheel and the means by which the traction betweenthe wheel and rail is increased. Fig. 2 is a perspective View showing apair of wheels and electromagnetic traction-increasing mechanism withemergency-brake shoes coacting therewith. Fig. 3 is a modification to hereferred to.

In said drawing Fig. 1 the car-wheel 1 may represent the wheel of alocomotive, car, truck, or other wheeled vehicle adapted to travel on arail or rails, said wheel mounted on the axle 3 in the usual or anywell-known manner. Suspended from some part of the car-for instance, theaxle, as shown-is a powerful electromagnet, which comprises amagnetizable core and a helix formed by winding wire around the core inthe customary manner, said wire being designed to be connected with asuitable source of electrical supply, whereby upon turning on thecurrent the core is magnetized. At the lower end of the core ispivotally secured a shoe 4, which is normally held slightly above therail by any well-known and appropriate mechanism,

Serial No. 156,584. (No model.)

one form of which is shown at 5 in Fig. l and which is capable ofraising and lowering the shoe relative to the rail, said shoe being of anon-rotatable character and being formed with a flat face which isdesigned to bear directly and flatwise against the rail when the shoe islowered into contact with the latter to form an emergency-brake. Theelectromagnet may be energized in an electric car by the same currentthat is used for the motor. In other cases any method used to produceelectricity may be employed to energize the magnet. When the magnet isenergized, it and the shoe form a horseshoe-magnet of much power, withthe wheel l'as one pole and the shoe4 as the opposite pole, the sectionof rail between the two points completing the magnetic circuit. Fromthis description it will be seen that the wheel 1 being in contact withthe rail is strongly attracted to the rail, and the shoe being supportedclose to the rail is also attracted to the rail; but as it does not restin contact with the rail the attraction acts the same as a weight on theframe supporting the shoe, thereby increasing the weight on the axlesand adding increased adhesion to the wheels. It is therefore apparentthat when the electromagnet is energized and attracted to the rail. sothat it does not slip, it greatly assists the usual wheel traction,andthen by dropping the shoe 4 into direct contact with the rail theshoe becomes a powerful track-brake and the braking power of the car isgreatly increased, thereby adapting the shoe as an emergency-brake. Thenormal position of the shoe is slightly above the rail, and it is onlywhen the occasion for an emergency-brake arises that said shoe isdropped into contact with the rail and its flat bearing-face, plus themagnetic power before alluded to, results in a prompt stoppage orslowing down of the 10- comotive or car.

In Fig. 2 I show a pair of wheels, magnets, and shoes, one for eachrail; but the operation of the parts is the same as before set forth.

In Fig. 3 I illustrate a modified form of my device where theelectromagnet 2 instead of being bolted to the axle is capable of beingsuspended from the frame in any well-known manner, and the contact withthe wheel 1 istained will be a benefit to the ordinary brake,

obtained by a wheel or roller 9, journaled in the end of theelectromagnet and adapted to l travel on a flange 8 of said wheel 1,said wheel or roller 9 being held normally out of contact with theflange by any well-known form of spring connection which yields when themagnet is energized to allow the wheel or roller 9 to be drawn againstthe flange 8 to make the contact.

The advantages of my invention will be readily understood from theforegoing, and it will be apparent that a car or locomotive-suppliedwith my traction-increasing and brake appliances will be enabled toascend steep grades more readily and can be more quickly checked indescending grades; that on wet or slippery tracks the wheels will notslip, thereby doing away with the use of sand for tractive purposes;that the increased adhesion ohand when my shoe is used as a track-brakeitself it will prove very effective in case of emergency or on alocomotive with a heavy train.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is I 1. The combination of a magnetizablewheel, an electromagnet, and a magnetizable shoe thereon and in circuitwith said wheel and means whereby said shoe is normally held proximateto and out of contact with the rail when obtaining magnetic adhesion,said shoe, when brought into direct contact with the rail, beingsubstantially non rotatable relative thereto whereby it serves as anemergencybrake.

2. The combination with electromagnetic traction-increasing devicesincluding a magnetizable wheel and a magnet suspended from the axlethereof, of a non-rotatable and magnetizable shoe in circuit with thewheel and forming one of the poles of the magnet and normally heldproximate to but out of direct contact with the rails, said shoe whenmagnetized and brought into direct contact with the rail formingtherewith a rigid track-brake.

3. The combination with a magnetizable wheel and an electromagnet, saidWheel forming one of the poles of the magnet, of a magnatizable shoecarried by the magnet and normally held proximate to, and out of directcontact with, the rails, and adapted when brought into contact with therails, to have a sliding movement relative thereto as distinguished froma rolling movement thereon.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES A. WELLS.

Witnesses:

MARY A. VVELLs, J. H. CAMERON.

